


Truth of the Matter

by whitehorsetiger



Series: Broken Ocean [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mer AU, Mer keith, Not Towards the Main Characters Though, little bit of violence, marine biologist lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 06:32:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13229997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitehorsetiger/pseuds/whitehorsetiger
Summary: It started out as a low whine again, Keith snapped his head towards the sound. It was probably a really bad idea, but Keith began to swim rapidly towards the sound. If he could just make it to the source before it really got started, there was hope. He swam as fast as he could, powerful strokes of his tail sending him zipping through the water. He was not fast enough.A mysterious sound is spreading through the water, causing the mer to beach themselves and attracting undesirable sea creatures to the area. They must find out what it is before the situation gets even worse.Meanwhile, Keith and Lance are wondering if their relationship can really work.





	Truth of the Matter

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not too sure if it counts as graphic violence or not...it's kind of subjective...

Keith twitched his fins, resting back on his arms against the sand.  
"It's not going to work!" Pidge shouted.  
"You're just jealous you didn't think of it!" Lance yelled back.  
"You're just an idiot!" Pidge yelled.  
"It's going to be fun!" Allura called.

Keith couldn't help but laugh, thumping his tail on the sand. Shrio, Pidge and him were all splayed out on the beach. Pidge sheltering under a large umbrella on a towel. Hunk was hovering at the edge of the water, debating on whether to go in and possibly help, or stay out and just watch the chaos unfold. Lance and Allura were in the water, perched on one surfboard.  
"Hunk, just come sit with us," Shiro called, "They'll probably be fine."  
"I doubt that," Pidge mumbled.  
Keith chuckled lightly, watching as Allura and Lance worked together to catch a wave.  
"They're doing pretty well," he said.  
"They've done this before, it's the next part that'll finish them off," Pidge replied.  
The two moved and Lance very cautiously clambered onto Allura's shoulders. They didn't even get half way up before they fell. The second the two of them bobbed back to the surface, everyone burst out laughing.  
"We will do it!" Lance shouted.

They didn't manage it, eventually the two of them dragged themselves out of the water, collapsing exhausted on the towels.  
"So, what did I say?" Pidge smirked.  
"Shut up, we just need more practice, right Allura?" Lance replied.  
"Yeah, definitely," Allura nodded, pulling her hair out of its bun.  
"See," Lance said.  
"You're going to accidentally drown yourself one day," Hunk said.

"No way," Lance shook his head, "Keith wouldn't let me, right?"  
Lance smiled up at him, blinking innocently.  
"I don't know, maybe if you deserved it," Keith shrugged.  
Lance's smile dropped to a pout, his bottom lip quivering dramatically. Keith couldn't help but sigh, dropping a kiss to his lips.

"Ok, ew," Pidge said, shifting to her feet, "I'm taking the surfboard."  
"Alright," Lance said pulling Keith down beside him.  
The mer indulged him, laying on his side, pressing a kiss to the smooth skin of his neck. Lance hummed happily, looping his arm around Keith's shoulder to pull him close. He scratched lightly at Keith's scalp, causing the mer to shuffle closer with a pleased sound. Shiro cooed mockingly, Keith flashed him the finger.

Keith floated on the surface beside Lance on his surfboard, bobbing with the small waves.  
"I never got the appeal of surfing," Keith said.  
"You never got the appeal of swimming," Lance chuckled.  
"Why would you spend time in something you can't breathe! I mean, I get the practical aspect, but for fun? It makes no sense!" Keith ranted, before he registered the indulgent and amused smile on Lance's face.  
"Stop it," Keith grumbled.  
"Stop what?" Lance said innocently.  
"Mocking me," Keith growled.  
"I'm not mocking you, I think it's adorable how passionate you get," Lance said, grinning.  
Keith splashed him, "Shut up."  
Lance laughed, paddling forward. Keith sank beneath the water, fighting a smile. 

After Lance wiped out, resting on his board, Keith joined him, resting on the opposite side. Lance grinned, which was the only warning Keith got before the human gently poke his nose.  
"Cute."  
Keith wrinkled his nose, snapping his sharp teeth in Lance's direction.  
"Still cute," Lance laughed.  
Scoffing lightly, Keith bumped his tail into Lance's legs.  
"Didn't Hunk say he was doing a barbecue on the beach?" he said.  
"He did," Lance nodded, "We still have time though."  
"How much longer?" Keith asked.  
Lance grinned and a sense of dread filled the mer.  
"Long enough for me to show you why surfing is so fun!" Lance said brightly.  
Keith groaned, but allowed his boyfriend to pull him onto the board.

****

Lance scoured through the filing cabinets, grumbling at the disorganisation. It wasn't really one person's fault, they'd just all been so busy as of late. He groaned, glaring at the place where the one he wanted was supposed to be.   
"I hate this, stupid clipboards," Lance grumbled, standing up.  
There it was, right on the top of the filing cabinet. With an irritated groan, he grabbed it.  
"Unbelievable," Lance muttered, "At least put it in the cabinet."  
He stepped out of the office area, into isolation. There was only one mer in there at the moment, one that had managed to swallow a fishing hook, they were curled up in the corner fast asleep. He stepped out into reception and out into the sunlight. The communal tank was down a short flight of steps, it was large and sunk into the ground surrounded by a concrete path. Allura stood at the edge of it, arms crossed and hip cocked. She was not in a good mood.

"Here you go princess," Lance said, handing her the clipboard.  
"Thank you Lance," she sighed, flicking through it.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Some of the mer do not want to go back in the ocean," Allura said, "They believe it is safer in here."  
"Safer?" Lance asked.  
Allura nodded, "They don't appreciate being beached and apparently there's a lot of sea serpent activity not far off shore."  
"Sea serpents? But they never come this close to land?" Lance frowned.  
"No, they don't," Allura muttered, "We may have to suspend any exploration until they clear the area."  
"Damn," Lance sighed, "What about the mer that live out in that area?"  
"We just have to hope they've left," Allura said, "This is really not good."  
Lance shook his head, "Well, we'll just have to deal with it?"  
"Yes, but we can't keep the mers in the tank until the sea serpents leave," Allura grumbled, "We can't afford to keep feeding them all!"  
"You just have to be more stubborn than they are," Lance shrugged, "And maybe offer them something shiny."  
"That doesn't work on every mer Lance," Allura shook her head.  
"No, but it does on most of them," he grinned back, "Now I have a job to do."

Apparently it wasn't just sea serpents ending up closer to shore than they really should be, all sorts of deep sea creatures were, most of them very dangerous. This was all relayed to him by Keith and Shiro, who had had a few run-ins with a couple of these creatures. Lance had simply buried his face in his hands and moaned, kicking out a leg. It was annoying and made a lot of things much more difficult, even more so when the victims of this sudden increase of creatures started coming in. The centre treated any and all marine creatures, fantastical or not. So many of them started flooding in with horrifying injuries. Bites and scratches, bruises and breaks from being played around with. Many they could not save, most of the rest had injuries so severe they had no hope of going back into the ocean. It was thankless and horrible and Lance felt his stomach turn with each new victim that was brought to him. More than that, the beachings had increased to, now there was at least three every day.

****

Keith was worried. He hadn't seen Lance in almost a week and he couldn't do a thing about it. He knew the human was working, knew that the sudden swarm of sea monsters had everything to do with it. Keith was also busy, helping guide the injured creatures to shore, he also spent much more time hunting, it was becoming difficult to find any fish and dodge the creatures that would like to hunt him.

"We're going to have to leave," Shiro said, floating down to rest beside Keith on the sand.  
"What?" Keith snapped, fins fluttering in the water.  
"Leave Keith, we need to leave, at least until this mess is sorted out. Hunting is becoming too dangerous, we can't take all the food from the locals. They can't leave, but we can," Shiro said, "We don't have much of a choice."

"We can't just leave them!" Keith snapped.  
"We can, they don't need our help. Leaving is the best option, for us, for them," Shiro said.  
"I can't! I need to know what's going on!" Keith said, powerfully flicking his tail to head towards the surface.  
"Keith," Shiro said, pushing off the bottom to follow him, "We will come back, it's not forever, you'll see Lance again."  
"This isn't just about Lance!" Keith growled, "This is about everyone and finding a way to help them all."  
"We can help them most by leaving," Shiro said, grabbing Keith's tail.  
Keith flicked his tail hard, forcing it out of Shiro's grip. With a few powerful flicks of his tail, Keith shot off to the edge of the cove, circling the cove. He needed to think, he needed to come up with a solution.

The sun had set by the time Keith stopped his incessant circling, Shiro had given up on trying to stop him ages ago. Keith bobbed to the surface, looking up at the stars. Maybe leaving would be best, but he wanted to know what that sound one. He'd also promised, he'd promised Lance they'd find out what was happening.

The light from a torch snapped him out of his thoughts. Flipping upright, Keith watched as the small dot of light got larger and larger until he could make out the figure holding it. Keith couldn't help the embarrassing chirrup of happiness from escaping his mouth when he realised it was Lance. Following the human with his eyes, Keith watched as he walked to the side, laying out a blanket and a pillow. Settling down on it, Lance's attention turned to the book in his hands. Not wasting anymore time, Keith swam over to him, springing out of the water and making his way over to him.

Lance looked up when Keith got close, smiling brightly.  
"Hey."  
"Hi," Keith replied, coming to a halt beside him.  
"Sorry I've not been around," Lance said.  
"It's alright, I know it's been hell for you," Keith said, "I understand, I just wish I could've visited you."  
Lance hummed, pressing a kiss to his cheek.  
"Don't worry, this'll be over at some point," he said.  
Keith shook his head, pulling the book out of his hand and pressing their lips together. Lance seemed a little shocked at first, before pressing back. Keith rested his hands on Lance's shoulders, pulling him closer so their chests were flush together. Lance chuckled, pulling away and pressing Keith back when he chased Lance's lips.  
"Miss me much?" Lance chuckled.  
Keith frowned, fins drooping.  
"Of course I did," he grumbled, "You've been away."  
Lance smiled, "I missed you too."  
The human lent forward again, rubbing their noses together before pulling them back into a kiss. Keith made a soft happy noise, pressing his tongue forward to invade Lance's mouth. Lance groaned softly, causing Keith to growl lightly and pull him closer.

****

Lance was glad he'd come out that night, he'd been debating all day if he was or not. But Keith was curled up on his knee, nuzzling gently under his chin. Lance hummed happily, tracing the mer's spine with the tips of his fingers. He felt the deep breath Keith took, his rib-cage expanding as he sighed.  
"Shiro's suggesting we leave the cove," the mer said softly.  
Lance felt a cold dead weight settle in his belly, causing him to stiffen.  
"What?" he said, the only thing he could think or say.  
"He's saying it would be better for us to leave, get out of the danger, stop taking the food the local mer need," Keith mumbled softly, nosing gently under Lance's ear.  
Lance hated how much sense that made, hated how he couldn't argue against it. He wanted Keith to stay, but leaving was probably the best option. In fact, there was no doubt it was the best option.  
"Right, yeah, makes sense," Lance said, "I mean yeah, they can't leave after all, they wouldn't survive out there, so you leaving it probably a good idea I mean you can go anywhere really so finding food else where wouldn't be a problem."  
Lance knew he was babbling, knew he wasn't making much sense. He couldn't stop though. Just as he expected, Keith was leaving. He knew, he knew all along the mer was fleeting, he shouldn't have gotten so attached.

Keith finally offered him relief in cutting him off, pressing a hand to his mouth.  
"Lance, Lance hey, I don't want to leave, don't for a second think I do," Keith said softly, dropping his hands to grip Lance's, "I want to stay, I want to help you solve this, I want to stay with you. Leaving feels like the last thing I should be doing, I hate how sensible that option is. If Lance, if I leave, I will come back when all this is over, I swear to you, I will come back."  
"If all this ends," Lance said.  
"When," Keith growled, squeezing Lance's hands.  
Lance let his head drop.  
"When," he murmured.  
"Yes Lance, when," Keith said, tilting Lance's head up to press their foreheads together.  
"Alright, ok," Lance nodded.  
Lance still didn't a hundred percent believe him, mer were fickle creatures, chances were high that Keith would just forget him. Although, Keith, and if he was being honest Shiro, were very different from the other mer he encountered. Probably because they were a different type. It didn't matter though, time out in the ocean where he belonged, free to follow the currents and wander without a care, Keith would forget all about the human that had taken up some of his time. Keith snuggled closer, Lance squeezing him gently in response. He would just have to enjoy the time they had while he could.

Lance was distracted at work all the next day, so much so that even though she was completely absorbed in her work, Pidge noticed. Her and Hunk grabbed him at lunch, steering him to sit at a bench.  
"Right, you've been off all day, what's wrong?" Pidge snapped.  
"Me? I'm fine," Lance laughed, it was painfully strained.  
"Buddy," Hunk sighed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.  
Lance lent into the one-armed hug, letting out a long sigh.  
"Keith and Shiro are leaving," Lance muttered.  
"What?" Hunk said.  
"Keith and..."  
"No, we heard that," Pidge snapped, "Why?"  
"Because it's too dangerous around here and they want to stop taking food from the locals, because they can't leave," Lance said.  
"That is a great idea," Pidge said.  
"I know," Lance moaned, "But that's means Keith is leaving!"  
"Only for a bit though? Until the mess is sorted out," Hunk said, "Surely, I mean, are you breaking up?"  
Lance shook his head, "He said he'd come back, but, he won't."  
"What are you talking about?" Pidge scoffed, "He adores you."  
"Yeah, while he's stuck in a cove with very little option but to interact with me. Out there, in the ocean where he belongs, he'll forget about me in a heartbeat," Lance sighed, "How am I supposed to compete with the entire ocean? He'll find a nice mer that he can spend time and actually live with, travel across the ocean with them and forget the little blip in his life that was his time with a human."  
"Alright, ok," Hunk said gently, "Calm down and breath for a second alright?"  
Lance hadn't even realised he'd started crying.  
"It's alright, buddy come on," Hunk said, patting him on the back, "He won't just ditch you."  
"Yeah, no way," Pidge said.  
"He'll come back," Hunk said, "Keith will just leave for a little while and return."  
"I mean this place is amazing, who would want to leave it?" Pidge scoffed.  
Lance sniffled softly, wiping his nose on his sleeve.  
Pidge pulled a face, "Ew."  
"How is he supposed to find a way back?" Lance chuckled wetly, "Mer aren't exactly known for their navigational skills, there's a reason many of them don't migrate."  
"Yeah, they are pretty dumb," Pidge nodded.  
"I have an idea," Lance said, "Pidge, Hunk, I need your help!"  
"What's in it for me?" Pidge asked.  
"Being able to lord it over me that you were right and he did come back?"  
"Well what are we waiting for?" 

****

Keith hummed lightly as he skimmed the cliffs, to the beach where he had hauled himself after hearing that horrible sound. He had to find the source. Both Lance and Shiro seemed to agree it was best for them to leave and as much as he hated to admit it, they were probably right. Finding the source of the noise was his top priority, he had to do something before they left.

It started out as a low whine again, Keith snapped his head towards the sound. It was probably a really bad idea, but Keith began to swim rapidly towards the sound. If he could just make it to the source before it really got started, there was hope. He swam as fast as he could, powerful strokes of his tail sending him zipping through the water. He was not fast enough.

The sound slammed into him like a wall, pounding through his head and causing him to stutter to a halt . It was worse than he remembered, louder and all consuming, he must be closer. He had to keep going. Progress was slow, Keith was fighting against every instinct that told him to stop, go back, get away.He couldn't though, he had to know what was happening. Keith's vision was starting to darken around the edge, his head fuzzy from the pain. There was something there though, floating in the water. It was a boat, there was a boat in the water. Something was dangling from the boat, a bright red blinking light. That was it, the source of the noise, the thing that was screaming in Keith's ears. With new determination pushing him forward, Keith screeched angrily, shooting towards the box. Something else was faster though.

A huge sea-serpent appeared, seemingly out of no where. It had probably been around along time, Keith's vision was so fuzzy though. It roared, rumbling through the water and making Keith freeze. Opening its monstrous mouth, it snapped up the small box, severing its connection to the boat and cutting off the sound. The relief Keith felt was almost instantaneous, but there was still a soft pounding in the back of his head. The serpent roared suddenly, a sound he'd never heard one of them making before. Then he smelled the blood in the water. Something long, slender and coloured silver was sticking out behind the creature's head, blood trailing in the water. The serpent whipped around, roaring at the boat. The next harpoon that hit the serpent dug deep into it, before exploding and taking a large chunk out of its side. Keith's eyes widened, blood flooding his nose and mouth as he couldn't help but taste and smell it. 

Keith had no particular love for sea serpents, but he never really hated them. They were predators, like him, so he couldn't exactly blame them for eating mers. Watching the creature being torn apart by harpoons and hooks, pulled up to the boat to be riddled with bullets was still not pleasant. Its head had dropped, trying to keep it away from the harpoons and guns. Keith shuddered, eyes focused on the creature's face. Its large yellow eyes were looking right at him, its jaw slowly opened. Something was shining in it, dangling from its tooth. Keith cautiously swam closer, listening to the soft grunt it made. It was the device, the one that had driven Keith away. Very very carefully, he dislodged the surprisingly undamaged device. He pushed himself away, keeping an eye on the serpent. It simply watched him swim away, before its eye slipped closed. He could see a couple more sea serpents a distance away, watching him and the boat. They didn't bother him though, so Keith flipped over and sped back towards the shore.

**** 

Lance, Hunk, Pidge and Allura sprinted down the beach in the cove, stumbling slightly on the sand.  
"Keith!" Lance shouted, splashing through the shallows.  
The mer was resting in the water, tail swishing lightly from side to side. Shiro was perched beside him, glaring at the younger mer. Keith smiled.  
"Hi Lance."  
"What where you thinking?" Lance groaned, dropping to his knees and gathering the mer up in his arms.   
"I'm alright Lance, I'm alright," Keith said softly.  
"You just wandered off, you just wandered off and came back smelling of blood," Lance grumbled.  
"It wasn't mine," Keith said.  
Lance groaned, "Well that makes me feel so much better."  
"It's a sea serpents," Keith said.  
Lance sighed, shaking his head. Keith smiled, pressing a kiss to Lance's cheek.  
"I've also found the source of all the mer beaching themselves!"  
Lance groaned louder, feeling Keith chuckle and pull him closer.  
"What did you find?" Allura asked.  
"This," Keith said.

Lance lent back enough to look at the device in Keith's hand, it was very unassuming. A small metal box with a bright red light on it and several buttons and dials.  
"Huh," Pidge said, leaning forward.  
Lance pulled it out of Keith's hand, flipping the thing over and over in his hands. It looked familiar, he could've sworn he's seen it somewhere before.  
" 'Lura, does this look familiar to you?" he asked, handing it to her.  
Allura flipped it over and over in her hands, Lance watched as Keith snuggled into him again.  
"It does," she said, "I just can't think why."

"Well I don't know what it is," Pidge said, peering over her arm.  
"Yeah, it does look familiar," Hunk frowned.   
Lance frowned at it, trying to jog his memory. It was a long time ago, before Pidge came to work at the centre.   
"Oh!" Lance said suddenly, he'd just realised, "Oh!"  
Jumping to his feet and dislodging Keith, who yelped a little.He began to run up the beach.  
"I've had a thought!"  
"Would be a first!" Pidge shouted.  
"What thought? Lance! What thought?" Keith shouted.

Going through the archives was the worst, even worse than the filing cabinets in the office. But Lance had to find the file he was looking for, he was elbow-deep in a cardboard box when Allura found him.  
"What are you looking for?" she asked.  
"A file," Lance said.  
"Well yes, but which file," Allura scoffed.  
"This file!" Lance said brightly, pulling out a large file held together with elastic bands.  
"Oh, that case!" Allura said, "I remember that! That was horrible."  
Lance nodded, "You got the device?"  
"Well, no, I didn't really have time to grab it before you ran off!" she chuckled.  
"Well, it looked like this right?" Lance said.  
He flicked open the file, pulling out one of the photos attached.   
"Yes," Allura said, "Almost exactly."  
Lance grinned, "So we know what's happening?"

Allura nodded, "Now we do."

He made his way back to the beach, file clutched to his chest.  
"I have the solution to all our problems!" he shouted.  
"He has the reason for our problem, from which we can get a solution," Allura added, "Don't get too excited."  
"But it doesn't sound as good," Lance grumbled.  
"Alright, what do you have?" Shiro asked.  
"Ok," Lance said, settling on the ground and revealing the file.  
"Oh, I remember that case," Hunk said.  
"Case?" Keith asked.  
"So a hell of a lot of mer were found beached a few years ago, basically every mer living in the area. Only one of them was actually injured, well, they were dead, self-inflicted injuries. Something very similar to that device you found was strapped around its neck. As it turns out it's a mer repellent, they used to be used in case mer were attacking your boat, they're illegal now because of the pain and disorientation they cause mer. There are better ways of repelling..." Lance babbled a little.  
"They also attract undesirable creatures, so as you can imagine, finding one strapped to boat is very concerning," Allura cut him off.  
"It's also very illegal," Pidge added.  
"So we hand this over to the police and be done with it, right?" Hunk said, "Right?"

They looked at each other and shrugged.  
"I guess, yeah," Lance smiled, "Problem solved!"

****

Keith flicked his fins, questioning Lance softly as he hung back from the group.   
"I've got a present for you," Lance smiled brightly.  
Keith tilted his head to one side, pushing into the water and following him to the concrete area. Hopping up to sit alongside Lance, he watched as the human fiddled with his fingers.   
"Present? I told you I don't need..." Keith started.  
"I wanted to," Lance smiled weakly.  
"Oh, alright," Keith said softly.  
Lance reached into his pocket, pulling out a box and handing it over. Keith took it, flipping it over and over curiously.  
"Well open it up then," Lance said.  
He was gnawing on his bottom lip, he looked so nervous, which made Keith more curious what was inside. Pulling open the top, Keith tilted his head in confusion at the round metal thing inside.

Lance smiled, reaching in and pulling it out. There was a fine chain attached to it which Keith followed until his eyes snapped up to the object clutched in Lance's hand. He pressed a small button on the  side, causing it to spring open making Keith to jump. Lance chuckled at his reaction, gesturing Keith over to take a look. He peered down at the inside.  
"It's a compass," Lance explained softly.   
Keith had seen them before, mostly on the inside of ships. He never knew what they were for though.  
"They help you find your way, see the needle? That always points north, I don't know how useful it'll be but..."  
Keith cut him off, launching himself at Lance, pressing kisses all over his face. Lance laughed, wrapping his arms around Keith's waist.  
"Thank you," Keith mumbled, rubbing their noses together.  
Lance chuckled, looping the chain around Keith's neck to fasten the compass around his neck.  
"It's completely waterproof too," Lance smiled.  
Keith hummed, nuzzling under Lance's jaw.  
"I love it."

Keith lent against Lance, indulging himself in the warmth and comfort Lance offered. The human was tracing the scales on his hand, smoothing along the webbing between his fingers.  
"You're very brave you know," Lance mumbled, "Going towards a mer repeller."  
Keith hummed questioningly, nosing at the side of his face.  
"How's your head?"  
"Hurts a little," Keith admitted, there was a slight throbbing behind his eyes.  
"Yeah?" Lance said.  
He brushed his hand up Keith's arm, tracing one of his fins. Keith shivered, leaning into the caress as it continued to his shoulder then up to rub at his temple. Keith sighed softly, letting his eyes slip closed.  
"Feels good?" Lance said.  
"Yeah," Keith sighed, shuffling closer.  
Lance was humming a light tune, Keith could feel it vibrating through his chest. It was comforting, Keith couldn't help but let his eyes slip closed sinking into a peaceful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> One part left to do before the big overarching plot is over...I don't know when it'll be out
> 
> Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it, comments and kudos are appreciated...


End file.
